Vision in gold

Fun. Flamboyant. Ebony Fashion Fair still fresh at 50.

Here's what 50 looks like for Ebony Fashion Fair

June 08, 2008|By Constance C. R. White, SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE

An ebullient Linda Johnson Rice swept into the Chicago Theater with two girlfriends, her mauve-pink lipstick popping as it picked up the hues in her purple and white floral Carolina Herrera trench. She was there to preside over the 50th anniversary of her company's traveling fashion show.

Her friends understood that the curtain went up the minute they hit the lobby.

One of them, People's Gas president Desiree Rogers, wore a sexy, laser-cut Pucci dress under a suede Valentino coat. Another drew attention in apple green Dolce & Gabbana. "It's as much about what the audience is wearing as it is about the clothes on the stage," said Rice, president and chief executive officer of Ebony.

It's rare that a fashion show packs enough drama on and off stage to take over a theater. However, it's one of the ways that Ebony Fashion Fair has set itself apart in a world of instant entertainment and cloned celebrities. It is the longest-running fashion show in America, the largest touring show and a formidable fundraising engine.

The groundbreaking show remains legendary in the black community. It provided a showcase for black models when there were even fewer opportunities and launched talent like lifestyle entrepreneur B. Smith, actor Richard Roundtree and editor Andre Leon Talley.

Fashion as theater

"The Johnson family does things big, they do things well," said Talley, the author and Vogue editor who worked for Eunice Johnson, producer and director of the show (and Linda's mother), in the early '80s. "They were doing fashion as theater long before anyone else was.

"Mrs. Johnson and the late Mr. Johnson had a vision that is still relevant," continued Talley. "They created a niche for the African-American community to see firsthand what style is like at the very top, and they do it with a philanthropic bent."

After traveling to almost 100 cities, the EFF spectacle wrapped up in Chicago last month with a show that sometimes imparted the same feeling of bemusement one might get watching a Las Vegas revue.

Ungaro, Valentino, Biagiotti, Brioni, Scherrer, Feraud, Westwood, Mugler. Yes, Johnson has a weakness for Europeans, the source of authentic haute couture. But styles from Americans like Herrera, Anna Sui and Marc Bouwer hit the runway, too, and they included a smattering of prestigious black designers like Stephen Burrows, Kevan Hall and b. michael.

But no matter the designer, a requirement of every look was that it speak loudly from the stage.

This was is not a show where one might find the latest work wear. Instead, a head-to-toe plaid ensemble included a hat, bag and boots. A gown had one sleeve so voluminous the model used it to cover the entire front of the dress until the dramatic moment when she revealed: a tantalizing sequin decolletage.

Joining the cast onstage this year were NBA player Antoine Walker and local media stars including Allison Payne, Cheryl Burton, Marion Brooks and Roland Martin, who shimmied and shook, to the delight of the crowd. Fox newscaster Robin Robinson took the runway in a pretty, white silk organza fit-and-flare by Chicago-based Maria Pinto, the go-to designer for Michelle Obama.

The show has raised more than $58 million since its inception, Johnson Rice says. In each city, it's sponsored by a community organization, many of which were foot soldiers of the civil rights movement.

Here, the Chicago Urban League met its fundraising goal of $50,000, which will go toward funding African-American women entrepreneurs.

Despite this altruism, the Johnson family has always kept an eye on the show as a promotional vehicle for the company. Each ticket includes an opportunity to subscribe to the magazine or its sister publication, Jet. "It was my father's idea," Johnson Rice said. "He was a salesman, marketer extraordinaire."

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Cover looks

When Eunice Johnson first traveled to French and Italian boutiques and fashion houses in the late 1950s to buy clothing for the Ebony Fashion Fair, she encountered a "whites only" mentality she thought she'd left at home.

As the fair established a reputation, it broke down that barrier -- and others too. It was the first showcase for black models from around the world and served as a launch pad for talents such as actor Richard Roundtree ("Shaft").

Here's a look at Ebony Fashion Fair magazine covers through the years.